TSS, toilet seat saddle

ABSTRACT

The TSS, Toilet Seat Saddle provides a specially designed handle easily mounted to the underside of the toilet seat and is positioned so that the proximal end of the unit projects outwards from one side of the seat, serving as the unit handle comprising a flat, rectangular shaped unit comprised of an adjustable, sliding base which expands or contracts to perfectly accommodate the exact dimensions of the existing toilet seat rim, abutting flush against the underside of the rim and held in place atop the bowl via two, vertical retainers which serve as the actual saddle. The handle is gently contoured to afford a comfortable grip. The TSS, Toilet Seat Saddle is produced in a variety of attractive colors to correspond with various bathroom decors, as well as neutral black and white.

CLAIM OF PRIORITY

This patent application claims priority under 35 USC 119 (e) (1) fromU.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/340,991 filed Mar. 25,2011, of common inventorship herewith entitled, “TSS—toilet seatsaddle.”

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention pertains to the field of toilet seat devices, andmore specifically to the field of toilet seat handle devices.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The prior art has put forth several designs for toilet seat handledevices. Among these are:

U.S. Pat. No. 5,212,840 to Leroy Caldwell describes a device forstabilizing a toilet seat in its desired position atop a toilet bowl,comprising at least one restraint connectable to the bottom of thetoilet seat for preventing lateral movement of the toilet seat relativeto the toilet bowl, wherein the restraint extends downward into thetoilet bowl so as to rest immediately adjacent to guide the toilet seatonto the toilet bowl, and an edge portion which is substantiallyparallel to the inside edge of the toilet bowl when the seat is in thelowered position, which serves to stabilize the toilet seat bypreventing lateral movement.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,361,425 to Frank Armanno Sr. describes a retainerprovides for the prevention of lateral slippage or movement of a toiletseat or a toilet bowl rim. Typically, bowl rims are not uniformly levelor even, and conventional bumpers, along with the play generally foundin the seat hinges, allow a seat to slip laterally relative to the rim,and occasionally drop slightly as the bumper(s) is/are displaced to oneedge of the bowl rim as the seat shifts. The present retainers eachinclude inner and outer depending retainer portions, which serve toprevent lateral displacement of the seat in either direction relative tothe rim. Thus, only a single retainer is required, although preferablytwo are installed on opposite sides of the seat bottom and toward thefront of the seat for uniformity. The present retainers include aresilient intermediate portion, which allows the depending retainerportions and member from which they depend, to arcuately rock toaccommodate uneven bowl rims. The device(s) may be mechanically oradhesively secured to the seat bottom.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,765,236 to C. James Bethanis describes an improvedtoilet seat that includes a number of integral handles configured suchthat a person using the seat can stabilize or balance his or her bodywhile exerting downward force on the seat. The toilet seat includes aseating element having an upper surface, an outer periphery that extendsbeyond an upper rim of a toilet bowl, a plurality of handles integrallyformed in the seating element, a rear section, a narrow front sectionthat forms at least one handle, and a transition section from the rearsection to the narrow front section. Domestic, commercial, and otherembodiments are also provided.

None of these prior art references describe the present invention.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to provide a toilet seataccessory handle device.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an elevational view of a portion of the device of the presentinvention.

FIG. 2 is an elevational angled perspective view of the device of thepresent invention.

FIG. 3 is a close-up perspective view of the device of the presentinvention.

FIG. 4 is a close-up perspective view of a portion of the device of thepresent invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

One of the most useful and practical rooms in any household is thebathroom where people shower or bathe, brush their teeth, shave, applymake-up and undergo other personal grooming tasks. Perhaps mostimportantly, the bathroom houses that most necessary of items, thetoilet. While toilets are an important necessity, many consumers wholive in households with male children, teens or adults find that thismost useful amenity has several drawbacks. Specifically, actuallylifting and lowering the toilet seat for the purpose of cleaning thetoilet, or, for men and boys, in order to use the facilities, can be adaunting and unpleasant experience. Most consumers dread the thought ofgrasping the rim of a toilet seat. Although a common problem for maleconsumers, many female consumers must contend with the problem oflifting and lowering the seat when cleaning the bathroom. Coming intodirect contact with a toilet seat is not only repulsive it is actuallyextremely unsanitary. Considering the slew of germs and bacteria thatmay be lurking, it is no wonder that many users do not bother to raiseor lower the seat, especially in public restrooms.

The present invention, hereinafter referred as the TSS, Toilet SeatSaddle, offers a practical solution to the problems associated withlifting and replacing the toilet seat. The TSS, Toilet Seat Saddle is aspecially designed handle easily secured to any existing toilet seat.This product also prevents the toilet seat from sliding about when theseat is in the closed position, thus providing sturdier and more secureseating when using the facilities. The TSS, Toilet Seat Handle is alsomanufactured as an upgrade feature on newly manufactured toilet seatshowever, for the purpose of this report the TSS offered as anaftermarket accessory will be presented for review. The TSS, Toilet SeatSaddle is easily mounted to the underside of the toilet seat and ispositioned so that the proximal end of the unit projects outwards fromone side of the seat, serving as the unit handle. Manufactured of heavyduty, injection molded plastic material, the TSS, Toilet Seat Saddle isa flat, rectangular shaped unit comprised of an adjustable, sliding basewhich expands or contracts to perfectly accommodate the exact dimensionsof the existing toilet seat rim, abutting flush against the underside ofthe rim and held in place atop the bowl via two, vertical retainerswhich serve as the actual saddle. The adjustable base of the unitmeasures between approximately four inches to six inches, while theintegrated retainers measure approximately one inch in height, andsnugly hugs either side of the toilet rim when the seat is in the closedposition. The handle portion of the TSS, Toilet Seat Saddle measuresapproximately one and one-quarter inch in length and approximatelyone-half inch to one inch in width. This handle is gently contoured toafford a comfortable grip. The TSS, Toilet Seat Saddle is secured to theunderside of the seat by way of four, threaded screws appropriatelypositioned on the underside of the unit, or by way of self adhesive gluestrip fasteners, included for sale with the device. The TSS, Toilet SeatSaddle is produced in a variety of attractive colors to correspond withvarious bathroom decors, as well as neutral black and white.

Use of the TSS, Toilet Seat Saddle is very simple and straight forward.First, the user installs the TSS, Toilet Seat Saddle on their toiletseat, according to easily followed package instructions. The userchooses to install a single handle on one side of the seat, or apply twohandles, one to the right and left side of the seat, thus enabling bothright and left handed users to comfortably utilize the device. Aspreviously mentioned, after properly securing the unit in place, thehandle extends approximately one and one-quarter inch from the rim ofthe toilet seat. In the closed position, the extended saddle of the TSS,Toilet Seat Saddle hugs each side of the toilet rim, thus preventing thetoilet seat from sliding about when the user is seated. As needed, theTSS, Toilet Seat Saddle is easily activated by any child, teen or adultuser. To lift the toilet seat, the user simply stands facing the toiletand grasps the extended handle, pulling the handle upwards and restingthe seat against the back of the toilet. After use, the user againgrasps the handle, lowering the seat upon the toilet bowl.

The TSS, Toilet Seat Saddle is a practical product invention whichoffers consumers many significant benefits and advantages. Foremost, useof the TSS, Toilet Seat Saddle provides consumers a simple, yet clevermeans of lifting and lowering the toilet seat. Male consumers appreciatethat simply by grasping the conveniently located handle extension theyeasily lift the seat up off the toilet, replacing it in a similarfashion after use. Additionally, the practical placement of the handleprovides a visual reminder to those men and boys who typically do notlift the toilet seat, to do so. Ensuring that the toilet seat remainsclean and dry, the TSS, Toilet Seat Saddle is a practical product whichis appreciated by all members of the household. Perhaps mostimportantly, the TSS, Toilet Seat Saddle offers consumers a hygienicalternative to lifting the toilet seat by hand. A sanitary tool, theTSS, Toilet Seat Saddle protects the user from coming into directcontact with the germs and bacteria that are often found on theunderside and top of the toilet seat. This advantage proves especiallybeneficial during routine cleaning of the toilet bowl. Eliminating theneed to lift the seat by hand, simply in order to clean underneath theseat and the rim of the toilet bowl, the TSS, Toilet Seat Saddle makesthe unpleasant task of cleaning the toilet, far less taxing. Anotherimportant advantage to this product is that the TSS, Toilet Seat Saddlesecures a toilet seat directly to the toilet bowl when in the closedposition. Consumers appreciate that with the TSS in place, their toiletseat does not slide about during use, thus affording more comfort andsecurity when utilizing the facilities. Although developed with the homeuser in mind, the TSS, Toilet Seat Saddle proves a useful addition toany public rest room facility. Easily installed and durable, this heavyduty toilet seat handle withstands years of repeated use.

The TSS, Toilet Seat Saddle is a practical product invention that offersconsumers an easy means of maintaining a healthy and fresh bathroom.Simple to install and easy to use, this innovative product proves avaluable commodity in any home.

Although this invention has been described with respect to specificembodiments, it is not intended to be limited thereto and variousmodifications which will become apparent to the person of ordinary skillin the art are intended to fall within the spirit and scope of theinvention as described herein taken in conjunction with the accompanyingdrawings and the appended claims.

1. A toilet seat handle device, comprising a handle for attachment toany existing toilet seat comprising a handle mounted to the underside ofthe toilet seat and is positioned so that the proximal end of the unitprojects outwards from one side of the seat, serving as the unit handle.2. The device of claim 1 comprised of heavy duty, injection moldedplastic material.
 3. The device of claim 1 wherein the handle comprisesan essentially flat, rectangular shaped unit comprised of an adjustable,sliding base which expands or contracts to perfectly accommodate theexact dimensions of the existing toilet seat rim, abutting flush againstthe underside of the rim and held in place atop the bowl via two,vertical retainers which serve as the actual saddle.
 4. The device ofclaim 3 wherein the adjustable base of the unit measures betweenapproximately four inches to six inches, while the integrated retainersmeasure approximately one inch in height, and snugly hugs either side ofthe toilet rim when the seat is in the closed position.
 5. The device ofclaim 3 wherein the handle portion of the device measures approximatelyone and one-quarter inch in length and approximately one-half inch toone inch in width and wherein the handle is gently contoured to afford acomfortable grip.
 6. The device of claim 3 wherein the device is securedto the underside of the seat by means of four, threaded screwsappropriately positioned on the underside of the unit.
 7. The device ofclaim 3 wherein the device is secured to the underside of the seat bymeans of self adhesive glue strip fasteners, included for sale with thedevice.
 8. The device of claim 3, wherein the device is produced in avariety of attractive colors to correspond with various bathroom decors,as well as neutral black and white.